1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a window panel support structure.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, as a window panel provided in a vehicle door of an automobile or the like, there is such a window panel in which two panels are placed adjacent to each other in a vehicle-body front-rear direction in a window frame provided in a single door. At this time, one of the two panels is provided as a fixed panel, and the other one of the two panels is provided as a movable panel to open and close the window frame.
In a case where the fixed panel and the movable panel are provided adjacent to each other in one window frame as such, a guide member for guiding one end side of the movable panel to move up and down is required between the panels. Further, if the fixed panel and the movable panel are placed in a single plane or a single curved surface on an outside surface of a vehicle-body without any steps, it is difficult to directly fit the movable panel into the guide member.
In view of this, there has been provided such a technique that: a slide member is attached to an interior-side face of a movable panel; and the slide member is fitted into a guide member so that the movable panel is guided to move up and down, thereby preventing occurrence of a step between the fixed panel and the movable panel (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-297602 (JP 2005-297602 A), Japanese Patent No. 4139345).
However, in either of the above window panel support structures of the related art, the guide member is opened toward the movable panel. Furthermore, the slide member has a plate-like shape in which the slide member just projects toward the guide member from the interior-side face of the movable panel.
Accordingly, in a case where the fixed panel is set in the window frame after the movable panel is set in the window frame first and held by a regulator, a fitting direction in which the fixed panel is fitted to the window frame becomes reverse to a fitting direction in which the guide member is fitted to the slide member, thereby making it difficult to set the fixed panel.
Further, the guide member is provided between the fixed panel and the movable panel so as to serve as a sash exposed outside. Thus, the fixed panel is clearly separated from the movable panel, thereby making it difficult to secure an appearance like a single panel.